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This video shows the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail walk in the Yorkshire Dales which is probably the most spectacular waterfall and woodland walk in the UK. You pass by Pecca Falls, Hollybush Spout, Thornton Force, Beezley Falls, Rival Falls, Baxenghyll Gorge, and Snow Falls. The entire walk has been filmed in 4K, allowing walkers to see the entire route, including where to park, eat, and drink.
Today's walk is the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, which has to be my favourite waterfalls walk in the UK. Before we start, let's have a look at what we are passing today.
We head along the well-made path alongside the river Twiss, where we soon pass by a money tree. Who says it doesn't grow on trees?
We then crossed over the River Twiss by way of a footbridge. And then, not too much further on, we passed back over it by way of another footbridge called Pecca Bridge, which affords the first views of the lower parts of Pecca Falls. We then continue along the path alongside the river Twiss as it passes by the upper parts of Pecca Falls.
Pecca Falls is actually a collection of five waterfalls which drop 30 metres over the slate and sandstone. After Pecca Falls, we quickly arrive at Hollybush Spout, and then, in the clearing, we reach Thornton Force.
We then leave the River Twiss to head over to the River Doe for the return to Ingleton with views of Ingleborough ahead. On reaching the River Doe, the first falls you see are the Beezley Falls.
These are then soon followed by the Rival Falls, before reaching the smaller waterfalls through Baxenghyll Gorge. Further down the path, you can then look back towards the Snow Falls. After that, we cross over another footbridge and then leave the river before passing by the disused Storrs Quarry, before heading back through the centre of Ingleton to reach the car park.
Stay watching until the end to see where you can eat and drink after the walk. Back at the car park, there is an information board and toilets. There is also a cafe at the entrance that we will see at the end of the walk. The video will be a little different today. More real-time footage, so less sped up.
And as the route is obvious, following the well-marked trail, less talking today, so you can take in the sounds. The car park, as you can see, is large, but it can get busy on weekends and in the summer. There is additional parking available in Ingleton. Most of the footpaths are on private land. There is an entrance fee, which is used for the upkeep of the path and insurance costs.
For me, this is my favourite waterfall walk in the UK. Pay, and pass through the ticket office. Just past the ticket office is an information board showing you information about the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail and warnings about keeping to the path and keeping children under control, etc.. There is a visitor leaflet showing the trail and the falls available when you are passing through the ticket office.
If you want to look at that in advance, it's also available as a download on the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail website, which also includes information on opening times and prices. The trail initially is a flat gravel path, but if you are unsteady on your feet and you don't like too many steps, keep watching. As I've tried to show what you'll be walking on as you go around. Whilst the height gain isn't too substantial, there are quite a few steps.
You soon reach an impressive money tree. Who says money doesn't grow on trees? It is believed that the origins of putting coins into trees, so-called money trees or wish trees, date back to pagan times. People believed that mystical spirits resided in the trees, and by offering gifts to them, they would receive wisdom, healing and good luck. This tradition is similar to throwing coins into fountains or into wishing wells. It is March at the moment.
But if you walk the Ingleton Waterfalls trail later in spring, summer or autumn, you will hear and see far more birds than today. But with the leaves on the trees, the views are different. I enjoy the walk, both with and without leaves on the trees, but I find the best time to do it is a day or two after a period of prolonged heavy rain.
There are small informational signs interspersed throughout the walk. This one lets you know that you are in an oak woodland. This walk is reasonably easy to follow, with the trail well-signed all the way around. But if you do want to see it on a map, the route of today's Ingleton Waterfalls Trail walk is set out on an Ordnance Survey map along with a GPS download for your phone or GPS device on our Walks4all website. The link for which is down in the description below.
After passing through the wooded Swilla Glen and then walking on for about a kilometre, we reach and then pass over Manor Bridge. A footbridge which crosses over the river Twiss. The bridge affords views downstream and upstream. The trail reaches what it is classed as a viewpoint for Pecca Falls. They do look a bit distant, though, from here, and much better views will be had shortly.
We cross Pecca Bridge to head over the river Twiss again, from which we got a much better view of the start of Pecca Falls. Pecca Falls is actually a collection of five waterfalls that drop 30 meters over the slate and the sandstone underneath. Once over the bridge, we then climb the steps to pass by the rest of Pecca Falls.
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Pecca Falls is, as I just mentioned, effectively forms three groups. The lower falls that we just passed, the middle falls and the upper falls. Overall, dropping 30 meters over the alternating beds of Ingleton Group Slate and Sandstone Graywackes. The slate, which is more easily eroded, forms the plunge pools, whilst the sandstone forms the falls.
As we continue on, I'll apologise now if my camerawork is even more shaky and jerky than normal. My little gimbal that I use to smooth the footage, stopped working for this walk about here.
These are the Twin Falls at the top of Pecca Falls. We then arrive at Hollybush Spout. We then climb up to and pass through a gate. Looking back over the gate, you can see that it's one way around the walk and the steps that you've just walked up.
We continue on now to head past this green shack, which, on previous occasions when I've passed, used to be a snack bar.
Now we are quite a way above the river Twiss below. This next section of the work is much more open along the wider valley, as we pass by Cuckoo Island below in the river Twiss, which has been formed by the river dividing. The impressive Thornton Force comes into view ahead. Thornton Force falls 14 meters into its plunge pool below.
The word force is derived from the Viking word Foss, being another name for a waterfall. Over the years, as the overhanging limestone has been undercut, it is believed that the waterfall has retreated about 50 metres from its original post-glacial location, from about 17,000 years ago.
After enjoying a sit and admiring the waterfall, head now up the steps beside it. At the top of the steps, we reach Raven Ray, which is a marine made up of glacial till and boulder clay, which was deposited by a glacier running down Kingsdale during the last Ice Age. The moraine basically created a dam at the end of Kingsdale, which is believed to have formed a lake in the Kingsdale Valley itself.
After many years, the water cut through it, resulting in Thornton Force. The river Twiss, which you can see here, cut through and created the gorge that you can see the start of ahead. Twiss itself is believed to be derived from the Old English word twizzla, meaning the wedge of land formed by a river fork. In this case, I'm assuming it's referring to nearby Twisleton that we will pass by shortly, which is a farm on a wedge of land created by the river Twiss and the river Doe as they head on to merge in Ingleton.
If you are new to hiking or just want ideas for what walking gear to wear and take on the walk, check out some of our kit list recommendations down in the description below. Looking back down to the right here, you can see the top of the gorge that I just mentioned.
With the Kingsdale valley ahead, cross over the footbridge over the river Twiss, and then just head up the steps. Pass through the gate and turn right onto Twisleton Lane.
We pass a sign about wind turbines, which is quite apt for today, with how windy it has become. Pass through the kissing gate and then continue ahead on the lane. There are very few times when I've done this walk when there is not an ice cream van in this spot. In the distance, there are views towards the Forest of Bowland. Looking over to the right, is looking in the direction of Ingleton and beyond.
Up to our left as we pass along this lane is Twisleton Scar End, being the Twisleton I mentioned earlier. The Gordale limestone here is now a series of scars and terraces.
If you have any comments on this walk, or find anything has changed, footpaths, gates, etc., please let us know down in the comments below.
Upon reaching the gate, pass through it and continue down the lane. The lane here has dry stone walls on either side of it. There are believed to be over 5,000 miles of dry stone walling in the Yorkshire Dales alone. After a short distance, over the wall to the left, is our first view of Ingleborough, one of what is known as the Yorkshire Three Peaks.
If you want to look at the whole of that walk, check out our Yorkshire 3 Peaks walk; the link is in the description below.
Just continue straight on down the left-hand side of Scar End and Twisleton Hall, just following the signs for the Waterfalls walk.Head over the stile built into the wall. And again, just continue straight on along the track ahead. The snow-capped Ingleborough again lies straight ahead. If you want to learn more about Ingleborough and check out our videos of the various ways to climb it, check out our Ultimate Guide to Ingleborough, the link for which is down in the description below.
Around to the left again, you can see up to Twisleton Scar End. Pass through the gate, and upon meeting Oddie's lane, cross it and head down the road opposite, signed for Falls Park and the Ingleton Waterfall Trail. We are now heading down towards the River Doe that provides the second half of the Ingleton Waterfalls trail as it winds its way down into Ingleton.
Over to the left, you can see the pitches of the touring side part of Falls Park with their picturesque views.
Follow the road down and then branch off to the left between the hedges following the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail sign. Shortly after, you pass by some toilets. A few yards further on, you then pass by the Falls refreshment centre. I'm just not sure of the opening house of this one, though. Continue along by the side of the wall. And then again, rather than following the road around to the right, go down between the hedge and the wall, following the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail footpath sign.
Just before dropping down to Beezley Falls, there is an alternative footpath sign that you can see on the right-hand side, which keeps to the higher ground if the path we are about to follow gets flooded. This rejoins the path we are about to follow, near the Snow Falls. Over to the left, you can see the top of Beezley Falls. This is what is known as the Triple Spout within the Beezley Falls. We'll see it again shortly, when we look at it from head-on down below. Hopefully, you're getting a good idea of the paths, the steps, and the underfoot conditions.
This here is looking down on the top of Rival Falls, which will get a better view shortly, a little further down the walk. Looking back now, you can see the two falls of Rival Falls, and between them is a plunge pool that is reputed to be over 25 metres deep.
The river Doe now enters Baxenghyll Gorge ahead. We will get a much clearer view of that shortly from a viewing platform. Down to the left here, we can head down onto the viewing platform.
Baxenghyll Gorge is quite an impressive gorge on the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail. The sound, well, it has been quite noisy all the way around, but echoes more around this area.
Back up the steps, just turn left and continue along the trail. There are a few of these wooden sculptures scattered throughout this trail. We now drop down to the remains of one of the disused slate quarries alongside the River Doe. Besides being very windy today, as you may have picked up from the mic noise, it's also just being very wet, as you can see from the river levels and the water extruding out of the ground.
Down to the left, here is the end of Snow Falls, which will see a little bit better, just a little further along the walk. If you look behind now, you can see Snow Falls much clearly. Pass over the river Doe by way of this footbridge. Pass through this gate, and as you can see, there is no access from this side.
The Ingleton Waterfalls Trail is designed to be one-way only. Head up the steps here and just continue along the trail. This here is also part of a disused slate quarry.
The path now starts to climb and move away from the river Doe as it passes through the aptly named Quarry Wood. Pass through the kissing gate and then cross over the small wooden footbridge. Just continue straight on along the path directly ahead. Either path can be taken here, as they just join up a little further on.
On the other side of the river Doe, you can see the remains of the disused Millbank Quarry, which is a geological site of Special Scientific Interest. The quarry closed in 1909. It used to have two lime kilns. Continuing on along the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail, we reach these walled remains of Storrs quarry. It was believed to have had two lime kilns, and these large structural remains, of around fifteen metres by six metres, are believed to be the remains of those two kilns.
Just keep on along the wide gravelled track. If you're enjoying this Ingleton Falls Trail Walk, please click the like button, subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell, so you know when any new walks have been uploaded. It is free to subscribe, and your likes and comments really do help promote our channel. Pass through the gate to start heading along Thacking Lane.
We soon arrive at the corner of the square where a sign shows the Ingleton Waterfalls trail to the left, and an information board on the wall shows what is where in Ingleton. As we have almost finished the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail walk, we can start to have a look at where you can eat and drink in Ingleton.
If fish and chips are your choice for the post-walk food, then across from the sign is the Ingleton chippy. Heading back up to the sign, we'll follow the route around to the right following the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail sign. You then pass by a garden centre.
To end the walk without looking around Ingleton, you basically turn right at the end of this road and then, after a short distance further on, right again and follow the signs back to the waterfalls car park. We will get back to that shortly. On meeting the road directly across is Bernie's of Ingleton Cafe. The cafe closed in early 2023, but I believe from reading online that it is about to reopen. Next door to that is Peaks and Troughs, which is a small bar and restaurant. Due to the space and only six tables inside, dogs are not allowed.
Next door to that is the OPO, or the Old Post Office, a microbar, which is an award-winning bar appearing in the Good Beer Guide 2024. They serve a range of cask ales, craft beers, wines, spirits and cocktails and I believe is dog friendly. For a short detour, we head up the road, where we find the Wheatsheaf Inn.
The Wheatsheaf was built in the 17th century and serves cast ales, wines, spirits and food. They have some accommodation and a good-sized beer garden around in the back, and they are dog friendly. Heading back into the centre. We'll just continue walking along the road now from the OPO bar, where we soon reach Inglesport, which is an outdoor shop, but it does have a cafe upstairs.
Amongst other things, they serve a selection of breakfasts, toasties, and specials of the day, along with home-baked cakes, scones, and tray bakes. Again, it is dog-friendly. Across the road is the Village Kitchen, which serves sweets, savouries and refreshments, along with a range of teas and coffees. It is all fresh, local and homemade. Heading further along the road between the food and drink stops, you could take in one of the craft shops or one of the galleries in Ingleton. Heading further along the road between the food and drink stops, you could take in one of the craft shops or one of the galleries in Ingleton. Around the next corner, if pizzas are more your thing, there is Ingleton Pizza.
A few yards further on is La Tavernetta, a family-run Italian restaurant serving pizzas, pasta, and other mains, along with bottled beers, spirits, and wines. Across the road is St Mary's Church, which dates from 1886. It is believed that there has been a place of worship on this site since the 12th century, as the font dates back to Norman times.
The oldest remaining part of the church is a 15th-century perpendicular-style tower. The way back to the car park is down the slope here to the right. But for now, we'll just ignore that again and continue wandering along the road. We soon pass by a memorial water fountain in memory of Joseph Carr, who was instrumental in setting up and promoting the Ingleton Waterfalls Walk, after writing a series of articles for local newspapers about the scenic attractions near Ingleton.
Down below, you can see the road we will be walking on shortly over the rivers Doe and Twiss back to the Ingleton Waterfalls car park. But before then, if we just cross over the road, we arrive at G&T's Cafe and Kitchen, which serves breakfast, brunch, and homemade cakes along with teas and coffees.
Just opposite that is the Three Horse Shoes, a Thwaites pub that serves a range of food and drink. It's dog-friendly and has a beer garden at the back. Just further along the road is the Bank Top restaurant. It's a dining experience offering a seasonally, locally sourced menu to cater for all tastes, and it's licensed. No dogs are allowed in the restaurant. If you carry on along this road under the bridge, there's more parking and toilets on your left and a hundred yards further on is the Craven Heifer.
They serve a wide range of ales, spirits, wines, and lagers along with homemade meals. They have some accommodation and are dog-friendly. Back now opposite the Bank Top restaurant, you can see the viaduct, which dominates the immediate skyline here. It once carried the Ingleton branch railway line and was meant to form part of the mainline from London to Scotland.
But it fell victim to the ongoing rivalry between competing railway companies, so eventually, it didn't. As we turn back around, we now head down the road to the left. At the bottom of the road is the Ex-Servicemen's Club. This is where we're going to turn left in a minute. If you just look briefly up to the right, this is the road that you would have come down if you didn't come via all the food and eating places.
We cross over the bridge that passes back over the River Doe. On the other side, you can again see the 265-year-old viaduct, which is comprised of 11 brick arches spanning 57 feet each and is about 85 feet above the river Greta. Passenger services stopped here in January 1954, with the last train being played out by the Kirkby Lonsdale Brass Band.
With the eventual closure of the line coming in July 1966, the track was pulled up in the following year. Head on now to the next bridge, which crosses over the river Twiss. The rivers Twiss and Doe join together just a little bit further downstream, just around where the viaduct is. They both lose their name and form the River Greta. Once over the bridge, we head on the few yards to turn right into the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail car park.
If the car park is busy, you can park elsewhere in Ingleton and then just walk down here to start the walk. The last place we pass by where you may be able to eat and drink is the Ingleton Falls Bar and Kitchen. Unfortunately, as of 19th March 2024, the cafe is currently closed, but I believe it is awaiting renovation.
If you do notice any of these eating and drinking establishments we've just been through have closed or any new ones have opened, please let us know down in the comments below. Back in the car park, you can see the electric charges here. Before we end today's walk, we've put together a fly-through using the Ordnance Survey app to give the walk and the surrounding area a little bit more perspective.
We left the car park and followed the riverside path upstream along the River Twiss. After heading through Swilla Glen and crossing over a bridge, we soon arrived at Pecca Falls. These were then quickly followed by Hollybush Spout and Thornton Force. We headed on, more in the open now, through Raven Ray to cross Raven Ray Bridge before climbing to turn right onto Twisleton Lane.
From the aerial view, over to the left, you can see the Kingsdale Valley, and you can see, to the left of the path, Twisleton Scar End is much clearer. We passed by the buildings at Scar End and Twisleton Hall, where we had views of Ingleborough ahead, before dropping down and crossing Oddie's Lane.
The car park you can see on the road above is the one at White Scar Caves, and the big hole in the ground is a quarry that, luckily, you can't see from the walk. Heading down now alongside the river Doe, we passed the Beezley Falls, then the Snow Falls, and then Baxenghyll Gorge. We then crossed over the footbridge and headed up through Quarry Wood.
We then passed by Storrs Quarry before heading back to Ingleton. To get back to the car park, you can see all you need to do is turn right, right again, over the bridges, and turn right to head back into the car park. That ends our walk for today.
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